News

The first match of the SAL season got under way at Peterborough. The small team on paper showed great team spirit and work ethic to claim 4th place, with maximum points for officials. Big thanks to our officials Paul Pickard, Helen Pickard, Sarah Berry, Sally Stevens, Mike Gregory, Jane Taylor, and Bob Whitten. Shannon Rapacchi marked return from injury with wins in A-string PV and shotput, while Isaac Whitten won the men’s A-string 3000m Steeplechase. Elsewhere, Libby Taylor won B-string shotput, Skye Barnett B-string 100mH, and Enid Whitten B-string hammer. In the men’s throws, Ed Turner and Milan Snarskis took a healthy haul of points, with Libby Taylor and Shannon Rapacchi doing the same in the women’s. There were debuts at SAL level for Kamilah Adebayo and Laurena Hawkins in the women’s sprints, while Hugo MacFarlane-Cushing and Rowan Roach competed in the men’s, both taking 3rd in the 100m, the former setting a PB of 11.31 early in the season. Martina Barber competed in the A-string 100m and LJ. Owen Watkins competed in the men’s 5000m, clocking 16:35:51. Team manager Rhys Samuel fought off injury and inexperience to PB in the HJ, thanks to some quick coaching from Norma Harris.

There were no 4x400 relays; however, the ladies 4x100 side consisting of Skye Barnett, Kamilah Adebayo, Laurena Hawkins and Martina Barber claimed 3rd in the 4x100. The men’s 4x100 team of Rowan Roach, Rhys Samuel, Owen Watkins and Nile Odejimi-Riley took 1st place – impressive for a team consisting of one sprinter, one jumper, one 5k runner and one injured person!

The teamwork didn’t end there – there was a big team effort to release the team bus from the coach park at the end of the day! A big thanks to Milan, Hugo, Nile, Paul, and Rhys for their efforts in finally getting the gate open; to everybody on the bus for their support, Jacob Cawthorne (Vivacity) for staying well over 2-hours beyond his shift to co-ordinate assistance, and to our driver Keith for his patience!

Congratulations to Jasmine who ran her first London Marathon yesterday in a time of 4 hours and 4 minutes.

Weeks of continuous rain transformed the final fixture of the Chiltern Cross Country League into a true test of endurance. Despite the waterlogged course and massive puddles, the weather couldn’t dampen the spirits of our athletes. After all, it wouldn't be cross-country without a healthy coating of mud! Perhaps a rename was in order from Stopsley to Slopsley!

Despite the treacherous conditions underfoot, 29 hardy athletes tackled the course with remarkable determination. While the mud claimed a few slips, the majority got round to produce some great performances. That commitment and team spirit—present since race one—ultimately secured a haul of well-deserved medals as the season drew to a close.

Seasons’ Podium Team Results

U13 Boys 2nd

U15 Boys 3rd

U15 Girls 3rd

U17 Men 3rd

U20 Men 3rd

Individual Medalists

Kieran Kealey U13B 2nd

Imogen Dempsey U15G 2nd

Jasmine Searle V35W 3rd

Well done to everyone who competed this season you all contributed to the clubs success as every place counts. There were some outstanding performances and commitment displayed across all age groups. Full results can be seen on the Chiltern League Website.

As the mud dries, most can now look forward to the upcoming track season. We still have a few athletes who will be competing at National and Inter-County events and we wish them the best of luck in their races.

Massive thank you to Adam who did a brilliant job of organising the cross country team this year and to the coaches for all the training and race-day support that makes these results possible.

Photos: Lindsay Cook

The fourth match of the Chiltern Cross Country League saw a strong contingent of 28 athletes travel to Watford’s Cassiobury Park. After the freezing temperatures brought by Storm Goretti, the weather settled, providing ideal racing conditions. The course here is challenging (aren’t they all) with soggy slippy parkland giving way to the gravel paths, testing hills and a punishing uphill finish.
It was a fantastic day of racing, with every athlete leaving it all on the course and supporting their team mates through the mud and hills.
A huge congratulations to our two podium finishers Imogen Dempsey (U15G) who had a strong run to finish in 2nd place and Jude Crossley (U15B) who continued with great form this season to finish in 3rd place.
Other notable top-10 finishes included Samuel Dear (10th SM), Kieran Kealey (4th U13B), Luke Bulois (7th U13B), Hannah Cook (7th U17W), Neve Sayers (9th U15G), and in the U11G Katie Kealey and Flora Hollis, who finished 4th and 6th respectively.
As we head into the final fixture, the club is in a very strong position. The Juniors are currently holding 3rd place overall, with everything to play for in the series finale.
Team standing after 4 races:
SM 8th
U20M 2nd
U17M 3rd
U15B 3rd
U13B 2nd
U11B 12th (mob match)

SW 14th
U17/20W 4th
U15G 3rd
U13G 6th
U11G 5th (mob match)

Full results can be found here.

A massive thank you to our Cross Country Coordinator, Adam, for all his work in organising the team and ensuring everything ran smoothly on the day.
Save the date Saturday 7th February for the final race of the series in Luton. Let's finish the season with a huge turnout especially as it’s so close to home. We hope to see you there!

SNHAC kicked off the new year with a strong showing at the Hertfordshire County Cross Country Championships. Held on home turf at Fairlands Valley Park, the local venue provided a convenient and familiar setting for our 28 competing athletes. Despite the cold, the bright sunshine and firm ground made for excellent racing conditions.

Individual & Team Podium Success:

It was a highly successful day for the club, with several athletes securing individual medals and team honors:

Individual Silver: Flora Hollis (U11 Girls) and Tommy Cropley (U20 Men).
Individual Bronze: Jude Crossley (U15 Boys).
Team Silver: The U11 Girls team, led by Flora Hollis and Elizabeth Burczyk, Amy O’Connell.
Team Bronze: The U15 Girls squad, consisting of Imogen Dempsey, Neve Sayers, and Katherine Mansfield.
Beyond the podiums, many of our runners earned the coveted "barcode," putting them in contention for selection to represent Hertfordshire at the Inter-Counties Cross Country Championships in Nottingham. We wish everyone the best of luck with the selection process!

Full SNHAC Results

U11 Girls
Flora Hollis
2nd
05:23

Elizabeth Burczyk
6th
05:33

Amy O'Connell
9th
05:47

Tilly Speller
18th
07:13

U11 Boys
Oscar Mashima-Thompson
9th
05:05

Elijah Hammond
14th
05:23

Thomas Walton
15th
05:24

Stanley Patterson
16th
05:25

Seb Lound-Jones
18th
05:28

Thomas Fowler
26th
05:51

Tommy Harper
29th
05:53

U13 Girls
Mia Pelligand
23rd
14:10

U13 Boys
Archie Dawson
26th
11:49

Noah Raymen
29th
12:05

U15 Girls
Imogen Dempsey
5th
17:19

Neve Sayers
11th
18:22

Katherine Mansfield
17th
21:01

U15 Boys
Jude Crossley
3rd
14:10

Leo Richards
18th
15:33

Will Allardyce
22nd
16:11

Nicholas Tankel
26th
16:26

U17 Women
Hannah Cook
10th
24:46

U17 Men
Aubrey Murray
6th
17:54

Murray Heal
7th
17:57

U20 Men
Tommy Cropley
2nd
25:40

Senior Women
Sandra Reed
37th
45:49

Senior Men
Phil Turner
53rd
50:58

Paul Murray
54th
51:19

As the host club, we would like to extend a huge thank you to the organisers, marshals, and volunteers who gave up their time to ensure the event ran smoothly. Your support is what makes these fixtures possible.

The cross country season continues immediately! We look forward to seeing everyone next week in Watford for the latest round of the Chiltern XC League.